'Manholemurders' jury selected

Judge warns jurors to set aside what they already know about case.

Judge warns jurors to set aside what they already know about case.

August 04, 2007|PABLO ROS Tribune Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND -- Potential jurors in the murder trial of Randy Lee Reeder were reminded of their responsibilities on Friday. In order to be fair as jurors, St. Joseph Superior Court Judge John M. Marnocha said, they must be able to set aside what they already may know of this case, which attracted "a lot of local media attention" earlier this year. Jury selection concluded Friday, and jurors expect to begin hearing evidence in the case on Monday. The trial is expected to last all week. Most of the 60 or so people who were called for jury duty raised their hands when the judge asked them if they had heard of the killings of four men whose bodies were found in two city manholes in January. The judge said the killings attracted not only regional but national attention. Media coverage of a case could have made it difficult for a court to select a jury, as happened in November 2006 in the case of Betty Chambers, an 80-year-old woman who went to trial for hitting a police officer. Chambers' trial was postponed several months before a jury was selected. "The media has an absolute obligation to report these kinds of things," Marnocha said, referring to the killings for which Reeder is being tried. However, Marnocha said, jurors have an obligation to leave what they know about a case "at the door, and decide this case solely on what you see and hear in the courtroom." Marnocha also warned potential jurors about the media's interpretation of the killings of Michael "Shan" Nolen Jr., Michael Lawson, Brian Talboom and Jason Coates. "The media sort of categorized this as a series of murders that occurred in relation to homeless people and people who were scrapping for a living," he said, implying that the evidence in court may or may not agree with that. Three people raised their hands when Marnocha asked if anyone had already formed an opinion of Reeder's guilt. Reeder is charged with four counts of murder in the four deaths. Daniel J. Sharp, 55, pleaded guilty in the deaths in May, some three months after confessing to police that he and Reeder were responsible. A team of three prosecutors, led by chief deputy prosecutor Ken Cotter, introduced themselves to potential jurors, as did Reeder and his defense attorney, Brian May. Reeder, 51, a squat, balding man who stands about 5 feet 6 inches tall, was wearing a gray pullover and blue jeans and seemed to walk with a slight limp. His formerly long, graying beard was neatly cropped, as was the hair on the back of his head. At least one juror was dismissed because he knew one of the victims, Michael Lawson. Another juror was dismissed because she said pictures of dead bodies might cloud her ability to be fair and impartial.